This document discusses evaluating digital curriculum as schools transition beyond strategic planning and into tactical implementation. It begins by outlining the vast number of available digital learning objects and the challenge of discerning their sophistication and suitability. Objects range from basic files to highly designed digital courseware. Courseware is seen as more sophisticated as it contains built-in sequencing, feedback, and personalization. The document advises educators to consider objects from a consumer perspective and choose those with intuitive navigation. It also notes the adjustment required for teachers in using courseware as the core material and supplementing it appropriately. Overall, the key is differentiating objects based on their level of interactivity, programming, and ability to structure learning.

1. Speeding Past Strategy, Turning into Tactics
SPECIAL REPORT
In this Issue
Evaluating Digital Curriculum as We Speed
Beyond Strategy and Into Tactics
Beyond the Buzzwords
How to Make “Life-Ready” Graduates
On the Road: Fall Tactics Events
Speeding Past Strategy, Turning into Tactics
GOING DIGITAL

2. 2 the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL
Speeding Without Accidents
It’s one thing to speed fast into digital transition,
it’s another thing to not splatter accidentally all
over the place, metaphorically, confusing your
whole institution and potentially actual learning.
What you choose for digital objects is one way to
mess things up, overwork yourselves, and have
once-happy teachers “crying in the Principals
office” over digital debacles and hardships as I
have heard from more than one school. This
is why we get on the road with our Digital
Curriculum Discussion events.
“You need to create a book and college course on
this, I’m serious,” Barbara Yamrick, the diminutive
but fierce Board of Education Director from
Aurora Public Schools said to me about our
leadership exercise in Denver on September 15,
2016. I liked her enormously, instantly. I was
being put in my place by the very professorial-
seeming Barbara after she had so graciously sat
in on the event that day. She admonished me
with no small amount of sternness to do my duty.
I decided then and there that, by gosh, I am
not going to let Barbara down. It also appeared
everyone in Denver loves this woman, so I
probably wouldn’t be allowed back there if I did let
her down.
What follows in this extra-Special Report is
one piece of my promise, our Digital Curriculum
Evaluation Matrix (a first of its kind) and further
editorializing on what is working for real tactics,
and real selections, out in schools in America.
What you choose for learning objects or products
is a Tactic, something that helps you meet an
overall Strategy.
Join our online committees inside Knowstory.
com anytime for more discussion about this with
the folks at the Learning Counsel and leaders
from across the nation.
Well versed in digital content and curriculum change, the adoption process, successful strategies, and
helping schools understand what’s available and what will work, LeiLani often writes on the changes
and future of the education space. She is a media, research, marketing and sales professional with
26 years of experience in the high tech, government and education sectors.
LeiLaniCauthen CEO & Publisher
Barbara intently focused
at the recent Denver
Digital Curriculum
Tactics Discussion
Barbara Yamrick, Board of Education Director, Aurora Public Schools
3the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL

3. 4 5the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL
Table of Contents
Evaluating Digital Curriculum as We Speed
Beyond Strategy and Into Tactics
Beyond the Buzzwords
Personalized Learning
Blended Learning
Project-Based Learning
Flipped Learning
Making “Life-Ready” Graduates
On the Road: Fall Tactics Discussions
Thanks to our sponsors
Editorial Contributors
Publisher LeiLani Cauthen
Editor-in-Chief Cebron Walker
Editor Dr. David Kafitz
Contributor Chris Kight
Production
Art & Design Dolly Johnson
Sales Operations Manager Kristina Hall
Advertising Sales Manager Chris Sprague
sprague@learningcounsel.com 888.611.7709 Ext 27
©2016. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. the Learning Counsel
3636 Auburn Boulevard • Sacramento, CA 95821 • thelearningcounsel. com
The Learning Counsel helps our subscribing
170,000+ education professionals in the K12
and Higher Ed sector gain context on the shift
to digital curriculum. Our mission is to help
districtsandschoolsreachrealtransformation
through strategies for digital content &
curriculum. Through consulting services and
research,toevents,custompublishingandonlineeditorial,theLearningCounselprovides
dynamic and diverse opportunities for private and public sector leaders to collaborate
for positive change.
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4. 6 7the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL
Evaluating Digital Curriculum as
We Speed Beyond Strategy
and Into Tactics
by LeiLani Cauthen
Discernment between curriculum materials has always been the job
of educators. Today it is important to discern whether digital learning
objects are granular or systematized. Where are they on a scale of
curated free document-type lesson plans and home-built learning
objects via build-curriculum-yourself customization software
(authorware) versus professionally coded courseware? Does either one
have all the elements of rigor? Here we will delve deeper into how
to think about digital resources and how leaders and teachers alike can
create a method to evaluate all their options.
See earlier Special Report at
learningcounsel.com for a
complete review of digital
curriculum characteristics
and definitions of terms.
Analytics
Screen
ManipulativesInterfacing
Machine
Learning
Dynam
ic
Curation
Anim
ations
Gam
ing
Chunking
Avatars
Second-Screen
Gam
ing
Mastery
The 71 Characteristics of Curriculum
Research & Context on the
Shift to Digital Curriculum
SPECIAL REPORT
Digital

5. 8 9the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL
Digital learning objects are simply off-the-charts
in numbers. The hunting around, and then
inspection process, is a nationwide undertaking
being played out in every school and by every
teacher across the land.
The Digital Scene
The power and depth of digital curriculum and
its ability to reach and engage students continues
to evolve. There are tens of millions of digital
learning objects including massive numbers of
items that are in the free and open education
resources sites. There have always been seemingly
tens of thousands of books and options, but now
in the digital arena, the number of companies
seems to have massively expanded. Now the
trend is to build in virtual reality languages.
The hunting around for digital learning objects,
and the inspection process, is a nationwide
undertaking being played out in every school and
by every teacher across the land. There is hope
in the construction of Knowstory.com to solve
many of these current issues. It will provide
a place to create a personal inventory against
requirements, standards, lesson-time-used, and
more. It will also make it possible to share these
inventories with others who might want to
copy parts of it to use in their own teaching or
learning. All this will help bring order to the great
sifting and refining of all these digital things.
Educational leaders want to differentiate various
digital learning objects. They also want to have
some stability and workability in their digital
resources. A new problem of digital continuity
of operation is at hand since files and lesson plan
storage are not the same as handing a substitute or
new teacher a textbook that has already been in use.
The complexity of operation for digital stewardship
is an important new consideration of leaders. Digital Object Sophistication
What is essential for educators to think with is the
degree to which an object is digitally fashioned.
How digitally sophisticated is it? As content started
to go digital, the initial learning objects were
static bits of knowledge. Examples of such content
include links to sites and excerpts from books,
loose videos out on Youtube, and unsophisticated
databases of text-based information. As network
speed and capacity improved, these objects evolved
to be more sophisticated, such as full courseware
with embedded video and virtual reality.
Many of the free Open Educational Resources
(OER) came out of greater academic works that
were “atomized” into little bits that could be mixed
and matched up with lessons as needed. Think
about ripping up a whole textbook into chapters
and the chapters into the individual concepts
inside each one and you get a picture of how many
objects live now on the open Internet. Initially,
a lot of the work of curating these “chunks” of
knowledge into a meaningful scope and sequence
for learning occurred manually by educators
for consumption by students. They must be
meta-tagged and filed and the path-to-finding-
them well traveled. Even after all that work is
done they may still be disassociated from larger
contexts of learning, like how textbooks were
planned works with defined scope and sequence.
Highly
Designed
Digital
Courseware
This scale shows a progression of low-value technical objects up to the more sophisticated objects in terms of the complex-
ity of their programming. At the height of the scale is software that is known as “courseware” and requires very little in the way
of instructional planning, because it is the plan all-inclusive within a gaming type environment of scope and sequenced learn-
ing. A “single-loop animation” is a function like those in PowerPoint or Prezi where any user can do a single-loop action layered
on any object to allow it to “swoop in” or “appear” in a timed interval after the slide is already up. A “collection” is often multiple
eBooks or videos or objects with a website or App that serves them all to learners by assignment or by user choice. Feedback is
something software does to give users the ability to input answers or receive answers on text, pictures, or video, which is a usual
function inside learning management systems. Coding is something done to use a multiplicity of computer code mechanisms
to craft a whole learning environment or a simple app to do a function – but by a coder. The range of characteristics in between
this and the highest-level of digital object, designed digital courseware, is a wide arena of coding characteristics defined in our
“71 Characteristics” Special Report.

6. 10 11the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL
Chunks & Lesson Planning
vs. Courseware
Compared to courseware organized into a sequen-
tial progression of chapter-type elements with
quizzes at the end, all the various chunks of video
and text are non-sequential little bits of knowl-
edge that require the work of contextualizing from
teachers to make them into something meaning-
ful. That curation and sequencing is called digital
lesson planning, and while the objects them-
selves may be copyrighted or open-licensed, in
many instances the lesson plan framework around
them is automatically the intellectual copyright
of the School or District, and not the teacher’s.
Although this is rarely known by most teachers.
There are still arguments that could be had about
whether the act of creating a framework around
other licensed works is itself a “work” to be
copyrighted or simply a compilation effort, like
collecting movies of a genre together in a refer-
ence library and critiquing and comparing them
one against another in a blog about the whole
genre. The ideological difference between this sort
of library-plus-blog and a lesson plan framework
is minor, and the Learning Counsel predicts the
future copyright issues around what text or fram-
ing was uniquely created versus simply curated will
be numerous, because the mixing-and-matching
is a growing new area of art for digital teaching.
Since many times teachers never used the entire
textbook for a subject in the past, the chunk-
ing idea is great in some respects. It allows
a certain freedom, but it is more work than
buying the equivalent of a textbook, or the
new digital textbook that has been re-mod-
ernized into the “full courseware” idea.
One courseware provider, Dreambox, has this
to say on their website about courseware:
Courseware has programming aspects that deliver
the most appropriate type of object in sequence for
learning, the same things teachers do that is critical
for good digital lessons, and adding the work of
truly individualizing that object so that it’s the
right one for that specific student user. Courseware
is simply log-in-and-go-through-the-lessons,
pre-built and structured in some instances to
offer “levels” much like games do, so that faster
or slower students follow routes unique to them,
or are looped back into multiple avenues of
remedial learning.
Courseware
“Our innovative technology captures every
interaction a student makes while working
within and between lessons. As it dynamically
adapts and individualizes instruction in real
time, it provides millions of learning paths
tailored to each student’s unique needs.
It is a ground-breaking, student-driven
learning environment that leverages gaming
fundamentals to inspire and empower
students to build 21st century thinking and
problem solving skills, master key concepts,
increase achievement, and boost long-lasting
confidence in learning.”
— Dreambox Learning (http://www.dreambox.com/company)
Choose with a Consumer Attitude
The ability to distinguish if a digital learning
object is “flat” (for example, a text document
that does not do anything—the lowest level of
object) from an entire program of courses that
are animated and contain internal logic, requires
a different mindset. In fact, the consideration
would need to be more than an academic attitude
– it would require a consumer attitude and a
designer view about the user interface and user
experience. Such an attitude would guarantee a
higher level of user appreciation and therefore
have a heavy impact on learning. But beware! Just
because it’s glamorous does not mean it teaches.
Early software was more glitz than substance.
Consumers are drawn to appeals promised by
software that are usually very simple. A game
like Candy Crush allows a player to do exactly
that, crush digital candy. It is also only doing that.
Courseware is changing this over-simplification of
appeal with a consumer appeal to accomplishment,
which is an implied appeal in game Apps but
usually not emphasized, because it is only a game,
so getting a high score is not an actual achievement
level in life like finishing a course or graduating.
The more sophisticated courseware is a game-world
of options and sometimes allows teachers to assign
or “lever” learners into certain routes within it.
Whether an object is just one concept or a
collection of concepts incorporated into courseware
is an issue for educators to come to grips with
by actually looking inside and experiencing all
the routes of courseware. The same is not as true
for direct learning courseware consumers who
have typically had experiences with e-commerce
and gaming worlds online, which have already
raised their level of expectation for learning
objects. They expect the software to navigate
them. Educators typically do not expect this, but
the K12 market is now smaller than the open
consumer market for learning. Therefore, we see
publishers creating awesome digital courseware
and massive collections of digital objects that have
suggested meta-tags for student reading levels
and more with the navigation consumers expect.
When schools use courseware, it is an adjustment
for the teacher who must learn two things:
1. How to use it.
The full breadth of the courseware and how
it is structuring learning, where it allows the
teacher to interject and what sorts of
analytics it provides, and,
2. How to supplement it.
How the use of the courseware will replace
old pedagogy and allow the teacher to use it
as core while the teacher now flips the
learning and focuses on supplemental
activities, projects, and some lecturing. This
is one of the real revolutions in digital.
However, it is no different than the days of
textbooks. Textbooks had to be considered
for how to use and how to supplement,
but in the early days of digital publishing,
the learning objects were the dead opposite –
supplemental and not core. Teachers
already know how to do this well.
What’s also interesting about courseware is that
the consumer/learner can see it fit itself to them
as they use it. This is the same way that our
intelligent assistants like Siri or Cortana on our
phones work. It is also the true definition of
“personalization” in the software world. For
consumers and high numbers of screen-learning
students (in-class activity or out of a school),
curriculum software products need to be highly-
systematized, and courses that contain preset
programs that can be personalized will be
expected. An everyone-is-the-same experience
and a whole lot of odd navigational quirks that
cause large amounts of user questions will fail,
Digital Courseware – TenMarks, an Amazon Company Discrete Digital Objects – Overdrive, New York State
Education Deptartment & others

7. 12 13the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL
as some publishers experienced in their early
forays into online sales and customer support.
Again, when learning objects are only discrete
concepts, they present more work for teachers
to curate and frame. However, and this is one
of the more interesting things to consider,
when students themselves curate, discrete
learning objects that are not systematized
represent a rebirth of discovery as part of the
learning process. Allowing them to do that is
the tricky part if the school’s system is built
to only allow teacher discovery, manipulation,
and assignment of learning objects, and
the student is still a passive receiver-only
of the pre-determined set of objects.
Optimum Digital
Teachers tend to do better with optimally
aggregated digital learning objects, full
courseware, for at least 60% of their materials.
These should be used for a maximum of 40% of
lesson time used in screen learning with the rest
being active discussion,
lab, and other activities,
projects, and the
like. Full courseware
or collections that
function autonomously
give teachers back
more of their much-
needed classroom
time to individualize
learning and give
their attention to
students. The promise
of the emerging
industry of digital
courseware, both for-
profit and free, can return teachers to greater
time spent on student interaction and the
“human side” to balance the screen learning.
Evaluating Digital
Learning Objects
Evaluating any digital learning object is complex
because, like textbooks, it can’t be done based
on just its title or marketing claims. It must be
done with each of the concepts inside the soft-
ware, and sometimes there are a large number
in any one learning object. Unfortunately, being
a “software guru” and knowing what you are
looking at in terms of how well something is
designed for interface and rigor, is not some-
thing that any research or ratings firm other
than the Learning Counsel has a handle on.
Merriam-Webster’s defines the noun “concept”
as the “idea of what something is or how it
works.” When that definition is used for evalua-
tion, the digital learning object is either a single
concept or can be partitioned into multiple con-
cepts. Evaluators are then analyzing objects in
the same way that developing software is done
– by each concept being coded individually.
To do this you must look at and validate each
part of the digital learning object by
experiencing it.
The Super-Hurried Evaluation
Evaluating digital learning objects by
concept is arguably the best way to evaluate
what the worth of a digital object is, because
it can be broken down into three things:
1. Technical and design sophistication
By looking at the application, there is
clearly a single focus on each web page with
a practice question for fill out that is clear
to see, centered, without any distraction,
and it is offering feedback of how much
time is ticking off per each practice
question. It could perhaps use more
stylizing with a digital character guide
appealing to different age sets, like Mickey
Mouse greeting software guests as they
enter some Disney Interactive lessons.
2. Completeness of knowledge coverage
(actual instruction)
The software is dynamically giving
practice but does not appear to give lesson
context for what Past Tense means as a lesson
– it is therefore most probably something to
classify as supplemental and not core
curriculum.
3. The combination of the first two in the digital
realm that results in the ability to cause
learning, a.k.a. “rigor.”
The software appears rigorous from the definition
of being right in each practice question and the
design is functional and not distractive. So, in
summary, this one concept of all the IXL Learning
lesson concepts appears to be 1) technical design
appropriate, 2) supplemental instructional
(practice), and 3) rigorous – at least upon
cursory review of that one lesson within the total
number of lessons in their website collection.
People are already generally using these simple
1-2-3 steps of concept evaluation when looking at
digital learning objects. Design + instruction +
rigorousness are the major points and
comprise the “super hurried” evaluation.
Scoring an object across these three most import-
ant things in detail requires a sort of “matrix” to
evaluate, and that is what we are presenting to you
here in this article.
Regular Hurry - Overall Evaluation
Using Level 1 of the Matrix
If you’re in a regular hurry, you can use the
comprehensive new Digital Curriculum Evaluation
Matrix to do a rapid evaluation using just the
“Overall” points. You would only get into using
the entire matrix if it’s a major adoption. Teachers
or committees of curriculum experts can make
rapid analysis just on the Overall points.
Schools can figure out their own specific number
score for digital learning objects for overall value
using the Overall section of the Matrix. Highly
sophisticated programs can take a short amount of
time to evaluate by looking at each characteristic
of the software and experiencing it from a user
point of view. Using the list of just the items
in “Level 1 – Overall” anyone can make a quick
mental calculation of those things for that object.
These are the listed below in numbers 1 – 7.
This ideology of how you would take a
quick-look or go deeply into inspecting any
piece of software for what it is and does as
a learning object is a work-in-progress.
Courseware 60%
Discrete Digital Objects 40%
Screen Learning 40%
Projects | Activities 60%
Example:
Concept: Identifying Past Tense
in Language Arts – 1st
Grade.
(Example from IXL Learning,
see: https://www.ixl.com/ela/grade-1/
form-and-use-the-regular-past-tense)

8. 14 15the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL
Level 1 - Quality of the Knowledge Object
At the simplest levels, the most critical things for any
evaluation are the things that have always been critical
for instructional design, but now with a digital twist.
Note, we suggest a scale of 1-10 for each of the areas and all
of the 71 Characteristics. The highest score, then,
would be 78.
1. Quality knowledge concepts or artifacts (a fancy word
for things, like pictures, video, and primary sources
that have been scanned in – still usually a picture).
Watch it, this one is more subjective and opinionated
than the others. 1-10 Value per concept. It would be
wise to number how many concepts there actually are
in the learning object. Having to evaluate all of them
if there are hundreds or even thousands, so a random
sampling is usual.
2. Taking one or more of the concepts, individually, next
in importance in instructional design is a reasoned
scope that takes advantage of the things that are of
high quality when the content is digital: visualizations,
animations, scaffolding of information, content
levering, pre- and post-use formative assessments,
audio, and all other enhancements (see the “71
Characteristics,” which is soon to be updated to
slightly more in number) that are useful for the
chosen subject and topic. 1-71 Value.
3. Next, in-sequence delivery of that concept through
the digital mechanisms that support mastery of what
is being taught. Once mastery occurs, the learner can
then be exposed to a multiplicity of in-sequence con-
cepts building on the original topic. These extensions
of the original topic can go in various directions in
ways that are themselves instructional because they are
non-linear and serve to create more learning. 1-10 Value.
Digital Curriculum Evaluation Matrix
Level 3—Academic RigorLevel 1—Overall Level 2—Digital Learning Object
Concept
Contextualized
Courses, eBooks
Applet, Apps
Full Grade Course
Courseware
Collection
Aggregated>DisaggregatedAggregated>Disaggregated
• Citations
• Comprehension Level
• Fidelity
• Scope for Type
• Thinking & Analyzing
• Creativity
• User Interface
• User Experience
• Actions
• Aesthetics
• Controls
• Individualizations
• Instructs
• Mechanisms
• Linearity
• Aggregating
• Objectives
• Quality
• Scope
• In-Sequence
• Fit
• Privacy/Security
• Cross-indexing
• Lesson-Time-Used
Digitized Discrete Objects
Granular/Atomized Single
Concepts up to context/
framework aggregation with
authorware around those,
and further up to single
courses and eBooks.
Digital Professional
Applets or apps including
Short Form Games up to
Long Form Games;
Full Grade Courses;
Courseware & Collections
—with or without
Intelligent Learning Engines,
virtual reality, Augmented
reality, etc.
Regular Hurry—Overall Evaluation
Least Hurried—Serious Full Evaluation
Super-Hurried Evaluation
4. Fit (alignment) with requirements and standards.
1-10 Value.
5. Privacy and security of student data. Note that this is
an entire subject of its own and best left to the experts
for right now. The Learning Counsel will be releasing
important national data and analysis points on this
that can be asked by non-techies in a pinch in the near
future. In the meantime, we suggest you ask of any
software what data it takes that might potentially
compromise student privacy and see what the
publisher’s terms of service include. 1-10 Value.
6. Beyond those, and what makes digital delivery unique,
is a cross-indexing of the concept with other concepts
in a greater ecosystem of knowledge. This might be as
low as simple meta-tagging or correct filing. If the
object doesn’t have this quality, it will be hard to find
again. 1-10 Value.
7. Lesson Time Used (LTU). Total LTU is a single
numerical value per year. You can figure out LTU by
first asking approximately how much time it takes to
learn or do one learning concept in any learning object,
or the average time of that concept if the object has
many different features and functions. This is most
like one chapter in a textbook or one lesson or section
or quiz or one book (a book being usually themed
around one major concept.) Apps and courseware
might break down into different concepts as lessons.
These are typically individual concepts attempting
to be taught. What’s important about this is that it
is very hard for teachers to assign a digital object to
be completed by a learner if they have no idea the
time involved to complete it.
One concept might take 15 minutes for a learner,
or more.
Evaluating digital learning objects by
concept is arguably the best way to
evaluate what the worth of a digital
object is, because it can be broken
down by design, instruction and rigor.

9. 16 17the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL
2. Digital Professional – Developed by designers
and programmers with testing for the educa-
tion market. Again, this doesn’t necessarily
mean it’s totally awesome or even more
rigorous, just that it is professionally built
by someone who is a code-writer.
Within those two categories are the granular, dis-
aggregated objects at the top of the scale and the
more aggregated objects at the bottom. Schools
may need to decide to target some ratio in their
mix of all objects of professional versus non-pro-
fessional to lessen the expense and inefficiencies
of custom creation and upkeep. This is especially
true if the discrete learning objects are found via
links for their use in lesson plans and the links
break. They may also want to have a care as to how
much is purely granular versus systematized and
aggregated objects. Potentially, paid professional
industry work can more efficiently spread the
cost of creation and upkeep across many schools
and keep accurate track of what is working.
At any level, each object can contain various digital
characteristics. “Scoring” in this area is Non-
Professional versus Professional (developer) and
the quality and quantity of added characteristics
in the software. In addition, how granular versus
aggregated is another area of scoring. The question
of what a school or teacher scores an object is a
question of what percentage of their time they
want on building all home-grown materials
versus professionally built. Schools may have
signed pledges to be fully free and open education
resources so their score model would be weighted
in favor of more granular because that is more
typical to the free resource world. It may also be
more typical to the older grades where discovery of
what object could be a part of the learning design.
As a comment on the all free open education
resources, it is important to note that originally
the train of thought for focusing attention on
free and open resources was very pointed at
money savings. That was when schools couldn’t
conceive of buying all their computing devices
and high-value digital courseware. That is just as
it should be, of course, but presently the market
has shifted, and more schools are realizing they
can achieve full or nearly full coverage models
of high-value digital curriculum with a mix of
their own materials or outside courses if they stop
buying paper books and shift over. The Learning
Counsel’s 2016 Survey showed that fully 80% of
schools have not yet reorganized budgets away
from paper purchase into digital purchase.
Other considerations on the technology side
of what is it? include, the deeply technical
ideas that would require the ability to inspect
inside the actual program code for syntax, data
structure, control structure, and how well it’s
all documented, organized, and labeled.
Whether any digital learning object “works” and is
“easy or difficult” in terms of user experience should
be evaluation points of the technical sophistication
of the user interface/user experience where it
intersects with the academic rigor of the concept.
Level 3 - Academic Rigor
The following list can be used with a point system
to evaluate the rigor of digital learning objects. It
would be used in combination with the other two
levels of the scale already noted, and is adaptable
for teacher or school needs. It combines the
concept of academic rigor with the digital qualities
that are instrumental in delivering that rigor. It
should be used against every individual concept
or minor aggregation within a digital object, as
in one section of courseware teaching something
like addition and subtraction of fractions.
Educational leaders want to
differentiate various digital
learning objects. They also
want to have some stability
and workability in their
digital resources.
The basic thing to ask is “What number of
concepts are covered?”
The second basic thing to ask is “How much
time do the concepts take on average?”
Then multiply those two numbers to get
the total.
Later on, you may want to find out how
much time is actually being used of total
LTU by any one user for courseware that has
been purchased, because you are not sure it is
getting enough use to warrant the spend.
Least Hurried ­— Serious Full Evaluation
Using Levels 2 & 3 of the Matrix
A full evaluation looks at all of Level 1 after using Level
2 and 3. So you start with “What is it?” which is Level
2, then move through each part of Level 3, grading as
you go, and end with an overall evaluation of Level 1.
Level 2 – Object Scale
This is the “what is it?” level. You must understand the
quality of the digital object you are looking at. This
is not “quality” as in being better necessarily, but in
terms of its having a quality that can be defined.
The two major quality categories are:
1. Digitized by a non-Developer– meaning
usually teacher-made with support from the
school or district. This could be build-curric-
ulum-yourself software (authorware) that uses
pre-built parts of development to make a lesson
or a course and be pretty cool, but the object is
not professionally coded by some developer.
LTU CALCULATION
Concepts x 10 Minutes
Average = 500 minutes or
(divided by 60 minutes in an hour)
= 8.33 Hours
Examples of Lesson Time Used
Example 1:
A digital collection of books with 3,000 total books has
been purchased. Each book typically is one major concept,
particularly for fiction. Non-fiction might have multiple
concepts, such as a textbook. In this example, we’re using
one (1) as the number of concepts per book
and we are going to say that one book takes
ten and a half hours, on average, to read.
3000 (total number of books) x 10.5 (average
time) = 31,500. This means the total Lesson
Time Used (LTU) is 31,500 hours.
A digital book collection is like a whole library, so
this LTU calculation should not be a surprise.
Example 2:
An App has been purchased which covers math for both
addition and subtraction, two major concepts.
To learn the concept of addition in the App takes
2 hours of in-App screen learning. To learn the
concept of subtraction takes 3 hours of in-App
screen learning.
With one concept (addition) taking 2 hours, and
the other (subtraction) one taking 3 hours, the
total is 5 hours of lessons in that App that teaches
two concepts.
The total Lesson Time Used (LTU) is 5 hours.

10. 18 19the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL
Rigor Scale: one point per each (1)
1. Citations.
2. Comprehension difficulty level as in reading
(lexile) or mathematics level ( ), if applicable.
3. Fidelity. (The instruct inherent in the learning
object delivers its concept in the way it should
be to achieve learning with the software, or in
a way that is a true assessment if it is a test.)
4. Individual object, for its type, has an appropri-
ate scope – not too broad or too narrow
5. Elicits higher levels of thinking and analyzing
in the learner.
6. Elicits creativity in thinking and responding.
7. Uses an appropriate user interface with proper
navigation.
8. Provides an overall positive user experience.
9. Has appropriate Actions * (one point per
each of audio enhancement, live chat, live
video, annotating, accessibility, social gaming,
spell checkers, spatial-temporal reasoning,
dynamic definitions, probeware viewing,
digital social interactions, sketching, touch
enabled, storied).
10. Has appropriate Aesthetics*(characters,
voice, virtual reality, animations, visual
advantages, video embedding, avatars).
11. Has appropriate Controls*(dynamic
curation, plagiarism checking, interoper
able, project- based, student personalization,
navigation).
12. Has appropriate Individualizations *
(multiple languages, collections, work
product curation.)
13. Has appropriate Instructs * (favoriting,
administrative personalization, second
screen, projection, portability, feedback,
programming practice, inference, clip
embedding, standards alignment/attainment).
14. Has appropriate Mechanisms * (machine
learning, intervention, training, project
mastery, distance live-lab, authorware,
terminology, interactive queries, real-time
attention data/neuro-determinism, device
input, intelligent learning engines, gesture
controlled data, collaboration-ware,
assembly, practice micro-games, social
experimentation, formative assessment,
pre-assessment, coding, game-based earning,
gaming rewards, manipulative-object
interplay, summative assessment, artificial
intelligence, recall mechanized [selection or
matching from memory], dimensional).
15. Uses appropriate linearity, as in the presenta-
tion of one concept or one question or one
answer for any one True/False, fill-out field,
or buttons.
16. Uses appropriate aggregation tools, as in
the way shopping-cart technology allows
learners to collect and build artifacts into a
portfolio that demonstrates understanding,
if appropriate.
17. Sets and meets objectives.
* References the “71 Characteristics of Digital
Curriculum” Special Report, available online at
LearningCounsel.com
This new Digital Curriculum Evaluation Matrix
is the start of how to look with a bit more sophis-
tication in mind using our eyes and ears and
sense of learning engagement—at digital learn-
ing objects. Within Knowstory, the ability to
rate objects as a broad community for “Fit,”
“Worked,” and “Easy,” has the promise of creating
a coordinated national, and possibly interna-
tional, sorting of the good from the unworkable
learning objects, the poorly crafted from the
finely wrought, the biased from the unbiased.
Next – an Orientation to tactics in going fully digital.
To speed along without major problems, here are questions to find your own answers that will help you and
your schools work out quality digital curriculum transitions.
1. What is happening as learning objects become consumerized – built expressly for the
individual? What will this mean for professionally developed digital courseware?
2 How many digital learning objects you have? Are teachers aware of what other
teachers have?
3. What is your overall digital transition strategy to provide for digital devices that use
curriculum that takes a lot of bandwidth, like video streaming? (Consider the devices, student
access when not at school, what’s allowed on the networks, filtering, and security and privacy.)
4. Will you be using a Learning Management System? One, none, or many?
5. What can your networks handle? What if every student brings multiple devices and then
crowds into three rooms instead of twelve for some project work – can those three rooms
handle the load?
6. What sorts of curriculum things could be services you can have other organizations do
including technology support? Language pathology help via distance teaching? Foreign language
courses? Homework hot-lines?
7. What sort of curriculum “mix” do you want by grade? All discrete, granular objects, or more
systematized? Why? What are the repercussions of that?
8. What is the pedagogical use of any one tactic – concentrated in whole group teaching, project-based
learning, individualized learning, or…?
8. Are the tactics extensible to other teachers in that subject or grade?
9. Are the tactics subject-specific as a learning object, or is it a “Tool App” that is a cross-subject asset
for learning?
10. Are you carefully avoiding just “niftiness” (digital things that are nifty but may have little rigor) to focus
on substantive digital learning object tactics?
Orientation Tactics
“With digital learning, the network has never been more important
to improving student outcomes. Would an Indy racer perform
better on a race track or a dirt road? You need a race track for your
students.” — Richard Nedwich, Director of Education, Ruckus Wireless

11. 20 the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL
Definitions
Key terms as we speed into digital curriculum tactics
Concepts are single discrete knowledge objects, and could be called just “content” or “resource,” but are
more accurately a concept. These are artifacts like photos or videos. Also called “granular” and “atomized”
bits of knowledge. Examples include Word documents, PowerPoints, notes, short videos, pictures, etc.
Contextualized concepts are lectures, stories, articles, lesson plans, or assessments/tests and are
usually meta-tagged. These could be elements made with authorware of various types including animated
objects. May have minor goals or objectives. A part of this category are systems that are contextualizers,
or Learning Management Systems (LMS) that frame and hold such objects in repositories. Some LMS’s
contain analytics on use of objects and connected grading, but are not by definition creating object
internal intelligence adaptations – the objects themselves are not coded with algorithms. However, they
could give single-sign-on into independent professionally coded adaptive learning courseware.
Courses and eBooks contain multiple concepts. This category includes non-coded courses made inside
LMS’s and eBooks, which can use non-programmers to author them. Such objects are often bundled with
directions for activities. These have short or mid-range goals or objectives to achieve, and include defined
scope and usually sequence.
Apps are whole programs that perform small, short-form (Applet) operations, or large operations like
long-form learning games.
Courses that are professional coded are composed of a set of lessons and goals to achieve that takes
longer than a single 50-minute class period. Professional courses have a defined scope and a workable
sequence towards learning goals. Some courses include intelligent learning engines so they can be
adaptive to individual learners and provide analytics back to users and instructors.
Courseware is like courses except it may have a much wider scope with multiple subjects and topics.
Once logged in, the student uses the navigation to go from lesson to lesson without further interjection
by an instructor. However, the courseware may give some levers to the instructor to gate or ungate
progress (as in hitting a digital lever that allows freedom to surge forward to new lessons), and at times
provides analytics to the students and teacher.
Collection(s) are typically many eBooks, lectures, courses, Apps, or videos that have a management
framework around them. This may include other functionality like testing for the entrance level of
the learner.
Note: This list of terms does not include “Tool Apps” which are usually single-function like note-taking, or
authorware, like Adobe Illustrator, or technical software, like computer-aided-design programs (CAD),
none of which have knowledge concepts already embedded.
OPEN A FREE ACCOUNT TODAY.
Visit KnowStory.com
CALL US TO JOIN THE
PREMIUM INVENSTORY
BETA GROUP.
888-611-7709x27
A social way to build the story of your knowledge inventory.
Full Beta Release January 2017
nce upon a time, your
district or school had
an imaginary invenstory of all
your digital learning objects.
Oh, the wonders of being
able to cost analyze your
curriculum map!
All the teachers of the land
purchased, found or made
their own digital learning
objects. They were 100%
perfect at curation, filing
and tracking. Each teacher
had every subject covered
completely with digital
invenstory and kept it orderly
in browser bookmarks and a
learning management system.
No teachers ever left, and
new ones came fully ready
for anything. Sigh.
Still, they sometimes dreamed
of sharing their invenstory
with other teachers in far
off places on the internet.
Then came Knowstory! A place
where teachers and schools
come together for a magical
global view of that institution
and all associated individual’s
objects. Together at last.
The End
o
P.S. Plus a lot of sharing with others not in your school, and eventually a
marketplace and more and more function to become the most super-awesome
thing ever for education. You’ve got to be in on this.

12. Beyond the Buzzwords
23the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL
Beyond the Buzzwords
Four Educators Share Effective Transformational
Practices from Their Classrooms
Whether it’s teachers, administrators, politicians,
parents, or companies, everyone wants to “fix”
the American education system. With all these
voices clamoring to be heard, it’s no wonder that
educators are awash in buzzwords. Every few
months, it seems, someone publishes a book or
article centered on a catchphrase to represent a
“new” approach that will revolutionize (or, as the
tech startups like to say, “disrupt”) education.
These terms are also tending to be used (even
subconsciously) as a sort of litmus test to see
if a teacher or new administrator is up to date.
Do they understand the newest jargon being
bandied about on conference and convention
floors and in the halls of schools? If they do,
they’re “in” and hopefully using the most in vogue
models of teaching and learning in classrooms.
Most of these buzzwords come and go when they
either prove useless or end up being a variation
on something teachers have been doing for
centuries. (Isn’t “real-time feedback” just a fancy
term for “answering a student’s question”?)
Sometimes buzzwords stick around, though,
because the methods they represent actually
turn out to be useful in the classroom.
Here, four teachers share how they have
transformed buzzwords into practical best
practices for teaching—and as a result, have
transformed their classrooms, too.
Personalized Learning
The tactics to personalize—or probably, more precisely, “individualize”—lea
rning through a combination of technology and in-person interaction
by Monique Jensen
In Parma, Idaho, we believe blended and
individualized learning go hand-in-hand to
provide students with a fulfilling educational
experience that challenges them in the best
possible ways. Technology allows our teachers
to take a snapshot of students’ reading levels
at any time and paint a clear picture of
each student’s individual achievements.
Although our literacy scores have always been
good, we recently identified that reading
resources in our middle school were scarce.
Harry Potter, the Divergent Series, and other
popular fiction books enthrall students, but
they often struggle to read nonfiction text.
We aimed to help students personalize their
reading experience by providing a larger variety
of nonfiction texts. In this way, students were
able to learn about topics that interested them.
Thanks to a grant, we were able to purchase
myON in 2015. The new digital literacy
environment offered on-demand access to more
than 10,000 fiction and nonfiction books.
One challenge was that the rigor of Idaho
Standards and Common Core State Standards
didn’t leave much room for independent reading
outside of required readings. Having a digital
literacy environment motivates students to read
what they enjoy – mobile, anywhere at any time.
Upon logging onto the platform, students are
prompted to take a Lexile® test to measure their
reading level. Next, they’re asked what topics they
enjoy reading and learning about, from sports to
dinosaurs to cars, and animals. The platform lets
them generate a personalized library of books
based on their reading level and interests, creating
an environment where students are excited to read
about topics they love.
Teachers use the digital environment to
individualize the learning experience while classes
are in the computer labs, and on student 1:1
devices. With frequent, in-platform assessments,
educators stay in tune with their students’ reading
accomplishments and are well aware of each
To spread the love
of reading, teachers
have adopted what
they call “myON
Mondays,” where
students spend
class time read-
ing content of their
choice.

13. 24 25the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL
student’s strengths. This data carries over into
teachers’ traditional, whole class-lessons, where
they can individualize assignments and readings
for each student.
Individualized reading also allows gifted students
to excel and improve their reading level. The tool
also serves as intervention in assisting students
who may struggle with reading.
To spread the love of reading, teachers have
adopted what they call “myON Mondays,”
where students spend class time reading content
of their choice. Other educators assign science-
based book reports and track independent
reading time to ensure that each student is
improving at a pace they’re comfortable with.
One exciting addition the District made to
the program to motivate students to read
independently, was a contest where the
student who read the most pages would
win a mountain bike. In three months, one
student read more than 5,000 pages, which
dramatically improved his reading level. We
believe success stories like this would have never
happened had we not adopted a digital literacy
environment focused on personalized learning.
Our educators have embraced facilitating
personalized learning. They work diligently to
incorporate students’ interests into every lesson
possible. Although some of our teachers were
timid about combining personalized and blended
learning, this combination has become part of
their daily classroom routines. Individualized
learning now comes as second nature and the
benefits to our students are outstanding.
Monique Jensen served as an elementary school teacher for 14 years and is now
the district instructional coach at Parma School District in Parma, ID.
You can follow her on Twitter @CoachMo21326.
Blended Learning
An educator and mother shares her tactics to “blend”
learning at home and at school
by Donell Pons
My school, American International School of
Utah (AISU), is a charter school with the blended
learning model in its mission statement. Even
without that explicit mission, blended learning
just makes sense.
Think of your own learning experiences. I’ll bet the
ones you remember best are those that resulted in
“creating” something — an end product that took
multiple types of learning materials and observa-
tions. You also probably remember the few times
when something you learned moved beyond class-
room subject matters and became applicable in life.
The art of teaching students to read is like that, it
easily adapts itself to blended learning. Blending
tech and learning and life are what schools are
really about these days.
I’m not just an educator; I’m a parent. Watching
my own children informed my classroom philos-
ophies. The best experiences my children have
had come out of a blended learning model. This
happens naturally in home environments rich in
hands-on learning. With my kids, I’ve even had
adventures like researching natural dyes and for-
aging in the yard for the right plants because I ran
out of the blue paint to finish a project.
In the classroom, I use a number of tactics to make
blended learning a reality. Here are my top three:
Blended learning is best when it becomes organic.
Take a concept and let it unfold naturally, which
usually requires multiple modalities to fully realize.
Ensure that schools have the hardware and software
to support blended learning. One tool we use to help
teach all students at AISU to read is the Reading
Horizons program, which integrates interactive
classroom instruction with online components.
Focused and continuous professional development
is critical. Educators need to be constantly learning,
not only about their subject matter, but also about
their students. A great Swedish cognitive
neuroscientist, Stanislas Dehaene, has written
several important books on the science of learning.
A solid blended learning program empowers
students to use multiple sources to support what
they are learning. It includes the digital content or
courseware component that’s part of a well-
scaffolded classroom experience and supports the
kind of learning that moves beyond short-term
memory to working memory—and eventually to
the much-coveted long-term memory that is so
important for enriched understanding.
My advice to educators who are interested in
investigating blended learning is simple: Find a
mentor teacher or school willing to share ideas
and support your efforts. It’s easy for me at AISU
because everyone is involved in blended learning.
I can consult with other teachers, and everyone
is engaged in the process.
Individualized reading allows
gifted students to excel and
improve their reading level. The
tool also serves as intervention
in assisting students who may
struggle with reading.
Parma’s new
digital literacy
environment
motivates stu-
dents to read
what they enjoy –
mobile, anywhere
at any time.
Editors Note:
In software parlance, Individualizations are a means of making learning
unique to someone. Personalization is when it is something one does
for oneself.
Donell Pons, M.Ed, MAT, SPED, is a certified dyslexia
screener, consultant, and tutor. She can be
reached at donell.pons@aisutah.org.

14. 26 27the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL
Project-Based Learning
An elementary educator creates classroom simulations to incorporate
PBL and bring relevance to traditional lessons
By Anthony Johnson
Think about your job today. Have you ever been
given a formal assessment to prove you know the
ins and outs of your job? Probably not. In today’s
economy, employees are assessed based on overall
performance—not a test. The same should be said
for student evaluations. Similar to the real world,
in my classroom students show what they’ve
learned through project-based learning (PBL) and
application using real world examples.
I adopted a project-based model in my first
year of teaching. On the first day of school I
issue my students a PASSPORT (which stands
for “Preparing All Students for Success by Par-
ticipating in an Ongoing Real-world simulation
using Technology) and explained that their year-
long simulation in “Johnsonville” starts today.
The school year is a simulation of adulthood where
students work, create, and learn about personal
finance and entrepreneurial skills. They experience
real-world situations and gain insights into
global affairs. Students don’t view my classroom
as a “classroom” but more of an interactive
city where all projects intertwine to create an
ecosystem of businesses, homes, and more.
Each student has the opportunity to become an
entrepreneur, politician, banker, and more. They
are given $1,000 in Johnsonville cash to begin
their lives. Students must buy a house or rent an
apartment, earn wages, and manage their finances.
As the children buy and sell items that I donate,
they learn math skills along with life lessons. Like
a real business, they manage a database of their
clients or suppliers, create advertising plans, and
track their income to ensure they are making
a profit. Students earn extra money through
academic achievements and good behavior.
One amazing online resource I discovered
for PBL is Defined STEM. It is a great
tool to help me create relevant lessons I
can incorporate into Johnsonville. The
supplementary curriculum provides students
with research resources, videos, and project
prompts that test students to think outside the
box and put them in real-world situations.
If you are ready to incorporate this teaching
and learning style into your school or classroom,
here are some Tactical Classroom Tips for
creating a Johnsonville-like environment:
•• Make project-based learning relevant to
the students. In Johnsonville, students are
exploring issues like buying a home, paying
rent, starting a business, and managing
finances. Students see adults face these
same issues and can relate what happens in
Johnsonville to the real world, making every
lesson relevant and gets them excited to learn.
•• Encourage collaboration. Desks are
designed for individual students—which is
why I don’t have any. In my classroom you
will only find tables, collaboration bars, and
sofas perfect for students to think creatively
and problem-solve in groups.
•• Facilitate. Other teachers trying PBL often
tell me, “my kids can’t do it” or “it’s a lot of
work.” However, I think the real issue is
teachers giving up control of their classroom.
PBL allows students to take charge of their
learning, which gives the educator freedom
to facilitate and encourage critical thinking.
North Carolina State testing proves that my PBL
model improved student scores. At the end of the
2016 school year, my 5th
grade students scored an
average of 85% on the state science exam, while
my school as a whole scored 58%. I believe my
focus on PBL and hands-on learning propelled my
students and was the catalyst for this major boost
in test scores.
When students become part of their own learning
they take pride in their education and become
more engaged. PBL keeps students busy and allows
each one to show what they’ve learned in a creative,
supportive, and collaborative environment.
Fifth Grade students at Isenbery Elementary School in Salisbury, North Carolina
When students
become part of
their own learning
they take pride in
their education and
become more
engaged
Anthony Johnson is a 5th
-grade science and social studies teacher at Isenberg Elementary School
in Salisbury, NC. He holds the title of Apple Distinguished Educator, TED-Ed Innovative
Educator, and was just selected as Teacher of theYear for the Rowan-Salisbury School System.
You can follow him on Twitter @a_p_johnson

15. In a recent interview with CUE, Esther
Wojcicki, author of Moonshots in Educa-
tion: Launching Blended Learning in the
Classroom, said, “I also learned that there is
confusion between blended learning, flipped
classroom, and project-based learning.”
We agree!
Many educators are confused about these three
terms. They often identify with one of them
because they were exposed to it through personal
or district level-learning opportunities. In addition,
once educators learn about one of these terms
they will identify their teaching practices within
a community where they are welcomed and
supported through personal and district-level
support systems.
When it comes to flipped learning, there are many
support systems for teachers. The Flipped Learning
Network, online community forums, and other
community avenues allow educators to share best
practices and tech tools like Chatterpix, Touchcast,
and ClassFlow.
The biggest misconception that we hear about
flipped learning is that it’s all about students
just watching videos. Teachers who Flip will
tell you that this is not the case. To help set the
record straight, the Flipped Learning Network
has defined flipped learning as “a pedagogical
approach in which direct instruction moves from
the group learning space to the individual learning
space, and the resulting group space is transformed
into a dynamic, interactive learning environment
where the educator guides students as they
apply concepts and engage creatively in the
subject matter.”
The Flipped Learning Network also defines the
four pillars of flipped learning.
The Four Pillars of F-L-I-P™
•• Flexible environment: Educators create
flexible spaces where students choose when
and where they learn. Educators who flip
their classes are also flexible in their
expectations of student timelines for learning
and in their assessments of student learning.
•• Learning culture: In a flipped learning
model, in-class time is dedicated to exploring
topics in depth and creating rich learning
opportunities. As a result, students are actively
involved in knowledge construction as they
participate in and evaluate their learning in a
personally meaningful manner.
•• Intentional content: Flipped learning
educators determine what they need to teach
and what materials students should handle
on their own. Educators should deliver
content in a way that maximizes classroom
time and leads to student-centered, active
learning strategies that vary with grade level
and subject matter.
•• Professional educator: The role of a
professional educator is even more important,
and often more demanding, in a flipped
classroom than in a traditional one. During
class time, educators need to observe students,
providing them with instant feedback and
assessment. While educators may take on less
visibly prominent roles in a flipped classroom,
they remain the essential part that enables
learning to occur successfully.
This definition differentiates flipped learning
from blended learning and project-based learn-
ing. Flipping is a technique paired with a mindset
change. The technique is moving the direct
instruction out of the classroom, and the mindset
change is thinking differently about the classroom
space. Although flipped learning is becoming
a common term to many educators, it remains
an uncommon pedagogical approach to tradi-
tional classroom teachers. We encourage you to
explore flipped learning and to embrace a mind-
set that focuses on improved student learning.
Aaron Sams operates the education consulting firm Sams Learning Designs, is an Adjunct Professor at
Saint Vincent College. Aaron has co-authored seven books on the flipped classroom concept.
You can follow him on Twitter @ChemicalSams. (Aaron is to the left in the photo.)
Justin Aglio is the Director of Innovation at Montour School District in Pennsylvania. Recently, he
was mentioned as a 2016 “Edtech and Elearning Top 100 Influencer” by Onalytica.
You can follow him on Twitter @JustinAglio. (Justin is to the right in the photo.)
Educators create flexible spaces where students
choose when and where they learn.
28 29the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL
Flipped Learning
Flipping is much more than a way to deliver instruction via video—
it’s a technique paired with a mindset change
By Aaron Sams & Justin Aglio

16. 30 31the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL
Making “Life-Ready” Graduates
Indiana District Combines Software, Tech and
Leading-Edge Teaching Practice for Student Success
By Cebron Walker
. . .the tech is simply a tool, not any type
of replacement for the teacher
In the last twenty-five Learning Counsel Discussion
events in 2016, we’ve talked with hundreds of
administrators who share various stories. In all
these, they are concerned about staying informed
and learning the best-practices in this constantly
innovating landscape.
Workable and result-proven solutions is what Lake
Ridge New Tech school in Indiana is all about.
They’ve been building their teaching and learning
approach over ten years. Seeing early on that old
education systems were out of touch and that
graduates were not prepared for the world and
careers that were waiting for them, they started
looking, piloting and re-teaching teachers and
administrators.
Lake Ridge is a pre-K through 12 public school in
Gary, Indiana. Their own school district, in an urban
area, they serve about 2,000 students with two
elementary schools, one middle school, a high
school, a pre-K Head Start program and an adult
education program.
Modernizing a System for Real-World
Career Readiness
“We knew we were failing our students. We
researched different school models that would
address the issues we faced—our kids that knew
the three ‘R’s’ didn’t have the 21st century skills
to be college and career ready,” stated Dr. Sharon
Johnson Shirley, Superintendent of Lake Ridge.
“A lot of what we saw was just ‘How do we help
students prep for the test’ type programs. We
didn’t need our students to simply ‘test better.’”
Lake Ridge found the New Tech program that
had been developed in Napa, California. New
Tech was a collaborative effort of Napa businesses
(who needed career-ready graduates) and the
Napa Valley Unified School District. What was
born was a new model that prepared
kids, not only with academic skills but
modern work-a-day world abilities such as
collaboration, work ethic, oral presentation,
problem solving and critical thinking.
Lake Ridge is built on that model,
with three fundamental pillars:
•• Project based learning
•• 1-to-1 technology with
digital resources that
support the teaching and
learning
•• A culture in which a student
can holistically become a
contributing member
of society.
“When we moved into this model we
rapidly converted to a 1-to-1 technology
model in a project-based environment.
But, to be clear, the tech is simply a tool, not
any type of replacement for the teacher,” stated
Superintendent Shirley.
Digital Resources – On Tap
The teachers at Lake Ridge confront the same
problem as many others around the U.S., spending
many extra hours creating lessons from a myriad
of possible digital objects and projects. “It is very
labor intensive,” stated Cynthia Trevino, High
School Principal and New Tech Director. To lessen
the burden, the district created a digital resource
guide. It’s a combination of OER, paid courseware
and specific subject apps and tools which includes
the common publishers, well known across the
digital content spectrum—HMH, Brain Pop,
Compass Odyssey, Study Island, IXL, and the like.
Calumet New
Tech students
are involved in a
round table
discussion about
the integration of
technology and
project-based
learning into
their curricu-
lum with the US
Department of
Education Under
Secretary,
Martha Kanter.

17. 32 33the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL
“Our students needed the ability to be continuous
learners and to learn information that
was timely and relevant.”
As the Editor-in-Chief of the Learning Counsel, he operates in the “eye of the storm” in
this rapidly transforming education space, reporting on and sharing the stories of those who
are shaping the future of education. Follow the Learning Counsel on Twitter: @learningcounsel.
Their digital curriculum resource grid lays out each
tool and on one side is how it can be used best,
and the other side of the grid shows which schools
are using it so you can spot where teachers have
incorporated it already. It is not just a reference
for the district to see what supports and tools
they have available for the school and instructors.
Most importantly, teachers see what resources
are being used, and where, district-wide. Certain
teachers have become experts using this digital
content or that tool. Other teachers can then go
to them for rapid help and direction to save time.
As further support to their model, the entire
network of 175 New Tech schools around the
world built a sort of virtual digital resource
warehouse to make all lessons and projects
created by their teachers available. “Teachers, of
all New Tech schools, share projects and lessons
and this is always building up so we don’t have
to constantly re-invent the wheel, or at least we
have pieces to build from,” stated Trevino.
Lake Ridge is trying to work smarter, not
harder. As an example of how they are getting
more efficient, Lake Ridge just had district-
wide training on Google for Education. Twenty
people got level-one certified. “This is part of a
program so we are not having teachers up nights
with 60-70-hour work weeks,” stated Trevino.
Dr. Sharon Johnson-Shirley,
Superintendent of Lake Ridge New
Tech Schools, reviews how a student
is using their learning management
system to complete an assignment.
Project Based Learning Awesomeness
Principal Trevino explained the project-based
approach is the central philosophy at Lake Ridge.
“Real-world projects don’t lend themselves to
textbooks. Textbooks are usually outdated and
limited and they’re not conducive to combining
coursework and helping students understand the
‘why’ of the content.” Lake Ridge rapidly
abandoned the use of textbooks altogether. “Our
students needed the ability to be continuous
learners and to learn information that was timely
and relevant.”
To share an example, Trevino explained that they
bring in outside organizations with actual
situation-based projects, such as an engineering
company that was rebuilding a local bridge, the
FBI who involved the students in crime scene
investigations or Northwestern University who
incorporated assistance from Lake Ridge students
on a DNA project to potentially exonerate people
on death row.
“The DNA project was particularly interesting for
our students. We combined a biology and health
course for that because our instructors knew the
students needed to learn about DNA. So instead
of traditional lectures and study on DNA and then
tests, they organized for the National Innocence
Project of Northwestern University to come in and
have the students take responsibility for creating
materials such as videos, pamphlets, articles or
information sheets for people who had been
convicted and sentenced to the death penalty.
The students had to make materials that would
educate the inmates on how DNA could be used
to exonerate them.”
Real-world skills were gained throughout the
project. The instructors worked as assistants to help
curate resources and coach the students along as
they taught themselves about biology, health and
DNA as well as law, social issues and the criminal
system along the way. “As you can imagine, 5 or
10-year-old textbooks would have been virtually
useless in that situation,” stated Trevino.
But the resources weren’t the end of the project.
Members of Northwestern University, National
Innocence Project came to the school to listen to
the students present their findings and resources
and then they evaluated and critiqued the students
based on a rubric to ensure that the students
learned what they needed to know. Trevino
pointed out: “It was real world application,
using all the tools and tech they are familiar
with outside of school. Not one of the students
ever asked, ‘why do I need to learn this.”
See digital
curriculum
resource grid
on page 34

18. When you share your knowledge, energy, and inspiration, that’s…
The TCEA Annual Convention & Exposition brings together campus and
district-level educators to explore best practices for engaging students,
increasing productivity, and innovating teaching and learning with technology.
5 900 35 450Days Sessions Keynotes Exhibits
Make Your Plans Today. Register Now.
February 6–10, 2017 Austin Convention Center Austin, Texas #TCEA17
www.tceaconvention.org
Jan 12 San Antonio, TX
Jan 19 Seattle, WA
Jan 24 Charlotte, NC
Jan 26 Atlanta, GA
Feb 2 Memphis, TN
Feb 16 Phoenix, AZ
Feb 28 OrangeCounty,CA
Mar 2 Philadelphia, PA
Mar 14 Columbus, OH
Mar 21 Minneapolis, MN
Mar 23 Richmond, VA
Mar 28 Chicago, IL
Mar 31 Houston, TX
Sep 12 San Diego, CA
Sep 14 Denver, CO
Sep 19 Los Angeles
Sep 26 Orlando, FL
Sep 28 New York City
Oct 3 Portland, OR
Oct 5 Dallas, TX
Oct 10 St. Louis, MO
Oct 12 Indianapolis, IN
Oct 17 Boston, MA
Oct 19 Sacramento, CA
Oct 26-29 Gathering,
San Francisco
Nov 30 Washington, DC
Dates subject to change
Digital Curriculum
Sustainability Discussions
How Are We Going to Keep This Up?
Gain context. Help teachers transition. Find your path for sustained transformation.
One-day events bring together education leaders for FREE professional
development found nowhere else:
• Learn the single simplest step to going digital.
• Buildalearningcommunitythatwilllast.
• Discover the 5 sustainability lessons.
• Gain tools to evaluate digital curriculum like a pro.
• Make sure your school or district is not left behind
by the consumerization of learning.
2017
Event Schedule
Register Today
www.theLearningCounsel.com/
EventRegistration
888.611.7709
34 35the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL
Lake Ridge uses a grid which lays out each digital tool.
The left side shows how each can be used best, and on the
right side is a list of schools which are using the digital tool.
Int./Sup.Core Liter Tech. Assess.Other Programs HP LNGF LRMS CHS
x PBIS x x x x
x Inclusion x x x x
x x Guided Reading (leveled) x x
x Read 180 (90 minutes) x
x x x Voyager Reading (students below grade level) avail avail
x x x x CRAs/IAKTs x x x x
x Writers Workshop x
x x Envisions Math x x
x x Carnegie Math x
x Touch Math x
x Scott Foresman Science and Lab Kits x x
x Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Series Social Studies x x
x Read Alouds x
x Triumphs Intervention x
x x Fountas and Pinnell Balanced Literacy Framework x x
x x Fountas and Pinnell Phonics Kits x x
x x x Fountas Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention (gr. K-5) x x
x x x Leveled Classroom Libraries x x
x x 5 Step Writing Process x
x 6+1 Writing x x x ?
x x SHINE (RtI) x
x Edmark x
x Words Their Way (K-2) x x
x x ICAN Learn - Math x
x x Study Island x x
x x x Compass Odyssey x x x x
x x Accelerated Reader (Reading) x
x x Acuity (Math, ELA) x x x
x Summer School (ECA) x
x x x Fountas Pinnell Benchmark Assessments x x
x NWEA x x x
x x x x x Star Reading and Math x
x x x 8-Step x x x x
x Orleans Hanna Assessment of Algebra Readiness x
x x Criterion x
x Data Coaching x
x Southlake Regional Behavioral Support On-Site x x x
x Crown Counseling On-Site x
X Community Health Net On-Site x
x x Fast ForWord x x x
x CoGat x x x x
x Curriculum Consultants (Trammel, Findlay, etc.) x x x x
x National Geographic x x
x IXL Math x x X
x x HiDef (21st CCLCr after school) x x
x x x x x x Google Drive/Apps x x x x
x x x x x Turn it In x
Lake Ridge New Tech Schools 2015-2016 Programs
Terms
Int/Sup: Instructional
Support
Core: Core Academic
Liter.: Literacy
Tech.: Technology
Assess.: Assessment
HP: Hosford Park New
Tech Elementary School
LNGH: Longfellow New
Tech Elementary School
LRMS: Lake Ridge New
Tech Middle School
CHS: Calumet New Tech
High School

19. Educators in Sacramento do a leadership exercise to
set a strategic goal and then develop tactics for digital
transformation which will best reach the goal.
Above: Educators in Tampa do a leadership exercise
to set a strategic goal and then develop tactics for
digital transformation which will best reach the goal.
Below: Mike Jamerson, CTO of Bartholomew
Consolidated School District and others at the
Indianapolis discussion event collaborate.
Below: Kerry Gallagher, Digital Learning
Specialist from Saint John’s Prep (MA) shares
insights on how to design and roll out digital
citizenship curriculum for teachers and students
36 37the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL
On the Road: Fall Tactics Discussions
The crazy, busy life of an education road
show brings continual pride and personal
fulfillment to the Learning Counsel team.
Our Digital Curriculum Transition Discussion
events generate the important conversa-
tions with educators and administrators of
what is happening within the educa tion
space. Disruption is at hand for the way
teachers organize lessons and how leaders
lead. It needs to be discussed and organized.
Shifting this massive industry called Educa-
tion in the U.S. is not easy. As our friend
Steve Wentz, Chief Technology Officer at
Pasadena ISD (TX) told us when we were in
Houston, “We’re on the cusp of seeing some
huge differences in the education market.
It’s a hundred-year-old process that needs
to be changed. Turning this ship is difficult.”
These photographs and highlights from
some of the recent 13 cities we’ve visited
share a bit of the awesomeness from the
road. We’ve made great new friends and
continued incredibly productive partner-
ships, with long time associates, from every
corner of the country.
We hope our events continue to turn atten-
tion on the actual digital transition needed
and the leadership shifts required by top
administrators, not just teachers. We are on
an exciting and sometimes difficult journey.
We are glad to be on it with all of you.

20. Below: Daniel Alston and Dr. William George of Middletown
Township Public Schools with peers, listening in as Dr. Jeff
Gorman, Mt. Vernon City Public Schools speaks at the New
York City discussion event.
Above: Dr. Larry Mussoline,
Superintendent, Downington Area
School District and team in NYC
Above: LeiLani and Leng Fritsche, Assistant
Superintendent of Houston ISD, found a few
minutes to catch up in Dallas.
Above: Chris McMurray, Assistant Superintendent
of Evergreen Public Schools and peers at the
Portland (OR) discussion.
Left: Corin Richards, Director of Technology, Forest
Grove School District and team playing the curriculum
selection simulation in Portland.
Right: Martin Cardenas,
High School Math
Strategist, Grand Prairie
Independent School
District presenting in
Dallas (TX).
Right: Michael Guirguis, Head of School Partnership
at Yup Technologies, shares how Yup assists schools
with virtual tutors for efficient intervention options.
Above: David Kafitz, VP School Relations of the Learning
Counsel runs a panel discussion in Sacramento with Janet
Skulina, Superintendent of Knights Ferry Elementary School
District and Carl Behmer of Placer Union HSD.
Above: Superintendent Skulina and Leilani discuss where
Knights Ferry stands on transition and use of digital
curriculum by teachers.
Left to Right: Carl Behmer, Director of IT at Placer Union High School
District, Eric Roberts from Williams Unified School District and Matthew
Vendryes of Davis and Adult Community Education work together to set a
digital curriculum transition goal in Sacramento.
38 39the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL

21. 40 the Learning Counsel: GOING DIGITAL